Richard Twiss, co-founder and president of Wiconi International, which seeks reconciliation between Native Americans and other Americans, died on Saturday (Feb. 9, 2013). He was 58.
“Richard walked the good road with Jesus from 1974, and continues his walk now on the other side of life,” noted Wiconi International on its Facebook page, where it had been regularly posting updates and prayer requests since Twiss suffered a heart attack on Wednesday while in Washington, D.C., for the National Prayer Breakfast.
CT’s sister project This Is Our City recently profiled Twiss for his work in Portland, noting how “in a city still skeptical of white Christianity, Twiss’s cross-cultural witness is gaining a hearing among citizens and leaders alike.” Twiss also wrote about his faith journey for CT’s sister publication, Leadership, noting how “walking the way of Jesus has meant embracing my Native American heritage.”
CT interviewed Twiss in a 1998 report on Native Christians reclaiming worship. CT has previously reported on Native Americans, including the wrestling between faith and tradition over sweat lodge prayers.
